Monday, October 1, 2007
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I'd like to take this opportunity to answer the two most common questions to my intro. First, why the negativity towards blogs? I am old enough to know that very few people are interested in my opinions about anything. As far as using a blog to supplement my classroom, I prefer the web page. I can personalize a web page without it being...personal. Blogs are a little too introspective for those of us who enjoy the freedom to be shallow and miserly with our thoughts. Second, the NSTA fellowship will help me be a better science teacher. I'm connected with an e-mentor for the period of one year. Together, and in small, online groups, we'll work through inquiries and dilemmas that confront new science teachers in a very systematic approach. Plus they're flying me to Boston for 5 days to attend the national convention in the spring. I'm very happy and excited for the opportunity.
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3 comments:
Blogs have emerged as features of Web 2.0 which occupy the same niche that used to be dominated by (web) discussion forums and news groups. When they're good, you get get interesting, civil discussion. When they're bad, somebody is sharing tidbits about his or her life that no one needs to know, or somebody with minimal spelling and grammar skills is ranting in ALL CAPS. Take it outside!
Educators who feel a need to "catch up" have latched onto blogs, podcasts and wikis as crucial elements of the modern classroom.
Which they can be. Podcasting is incredible, used well, but I'll bet the supply exceeds the demand in the general population (are people *really* installing, configuring, shopping, troubleshooting, downloading and listening when they have satellite radio, YouTube, iPods jammed with music, and so many other choices?) and I'm sure there is almost zero demand among the secondary-school students themselves.
I'll jump in here. I've used different technologies to support discussions and conversations in online classes. Threaded discussions, bulletin boards, synchronous chats and of course blogs. In a graduate class I find that people "own" their blogs more than a discussion forum and because of that I get higher quality posts from students than I do in a threaded discussion or forum. Typically the conversational aspect is reduced some but that is a fair trade off as I am more interested in quality introspective posts than discourse for a class like this. Using a blog this way is, I hope, a bit different than using a blog to pour out one's innermost angst!
Although I understand if a class like this causes some pain!
Brian
In this class, we might like to know a little about others in the class, but not enough to be their shrink !
I'm new at 'blogging' but I see it as a free-form tool that allows others to express their views about your views. It can be as personal as you like, as much as you want to divulge.
I think that prof is using ‘introspective’ to mean insight into the topic at hand, and not our personal whatever ails us or angst, as sometimes surfaces when someone touches a ‘hot button’ topic.
In another class, we uses ‘email redistribution’ but things still got hot when responses were taken out of context, opinions were expressed, and taken wrong, when the human element removed (I think that’s why we humans invented emoticons) - words were inevitably misinterpreted, and delays exacerbated the trauma, especially when emails “crossed in the mail” causing even more confusion ! I think that is inevitable to test temperament when any form of communication completely removes the human interface and the ‘synchronicity’ that goes with actually talking to someone in person (and even then, fights still ensue !)
In defense, some people do not really that ALL CAPS is considered shouting, and either don't bother with lower case, or believe people will listen when they "emphasize" their point (by SHOUTING ?)
In our forums, I'd think that we are beyond that level of thinking, that "the loudest one wins" ?
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